Life is Strange 2 Review

"Episode 1: Roads"

Campaign (Spoiler Free)

Life is Strange 2 Episode 1: Roads starts off with a sweet sentiment getting you used to this close family and then ripping that away quickly. It's an odd setup as you get a small bit of attachment for things only for it to drastically change. I felt the impact could have been delivered better with a slower start and those pacing problems were present later in the episode as well. At the core this is a story of two brothers, Sean and Daniel Diaz as they attempt to flee.

It starts off with an oddly realistic situation in the US and continues to bounce off of real world elements to further build its realism. It was a lengthy episode and I'm not entirely sure that helped it. There were some side activities or things to venture off the path to do, but I'm here for a strong narrative and it felt so slow. When it did get to those soft Life is Strange spots it nailed them and there's so much potential here. It has moments of complete darkness and it mixes those with softer times that add emotion. I feel the core group, of perhaps not just the brothers could make for some very interesting moments as this five part series progresses.

Gameplay

The visuals of Life is Strange 2 are very impressive as the distinct art style has evolved and it's just a treat to take in. They really have improved the quality of the world, yet I'm disappointed not to see Xbox One X enhanced visual choices like in Before the Storm. It plays well, featuring a mix of cinematic segments with open world exploration to the side. They've built upon the prequel's open world situations allowing you to explore larger areas. That being said, these segments slow the pacing and don't exactly offer a lot of excitement. There's more freedom with this title as well with options to buy items and more dynamic choices.

The Conclusion

Life is Strange 2 starts off fine with some interesting characters and emotional moments, it does however have some pacing problems. They've created a beautiful world and I'm very interested to see where it goes from here. I just hope that future episodes are more exciting as while they had tense moments, I was often bored.

I felt as though they missed a huge opportunity at the start to develop their home life more. There was so much more potential for a deeper attachment and it's like they wanted to get on the ride as fast as possible. They did a ton of fast setting up and just skipped possibly what could have been a whole episode. I liked the dynamic of the brothers and the improvements to the experience, this could be a very intriguing new series.